Opening Address by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, at the ASEAN Neuroscience 2015 Opening Ceremony, 30 July 2015

Presidents of the ASEAN Neurological Association and ASEAN Neurosurgical Society,

Co-chairmen and Members of the Organising and Scientific Committees of ASEAN Neuroscience 2015,

Distinguished Guests and Delegates,

      A very good morning to all of you. I am very happy to be here this morning to grace the opening ceremony of ASEAN Neuroscience 2015. This is the first combined congress of the ASEAN Neurological Association and the ASEAN Neurosurgical Society. This is indeed a metting of the minds.

2.    Neuroscience is one of the frontiers in medicine that is rapidly evolving with breakthroughs in technology, clinical and translational research. With an ageing population, our ability to effectively manage neurological diseases such as dementia, stroke, and Parkinson Disease will be increasingly important. A recent study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health on the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly reported that the prevalence of dementia amongst seniors aged 60 years and above is about 10%. On the other hand, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and the third leading cause of loss of Disability Adjusted Life Years in Singapore. The number of acute stroke patients in Singapore is expected to increase from 6,800 cases in 2013, to 7,700 in 2030.

3.    To meet the needs of this increased dementia patients, the Ministry of Health has supported the ramp-up of Memory Clinics in our six acute hospitals, and we will be expanding the capacity of our dementia nursing home beds and community-based dementia care services such as dementia day care centres. We will also develop more Eldersit teams, which is a home-based service that engages clients with dementia in cognitive activities while providing respite for their caregivers. Similarly, we have developed stroke management programmes in our public hospitals to better care for our stroke patients, linking patients to rehabilitation and as well as other community programmes.

4.    However, an equal emphasis should be placed on disease prevention. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a balanced diet with sufficient intake of vegetables and fruits, adequate physical activity, and smoke-free lifestyle, can help reduce the risk of stroke and dementia. Mental stimulation, such as learning a new language or playing word games and puzzles, may also decrease the risk of dementia. Patients should be encouraged to attend regular health screening for risk factors.

5.    As healthcare professionals, you are well placed to help your patients with lifestyle modifications, and to encourage regular follow-ups and adherence to medication in patients who already have chronic conditions.

6.    There are many other neurosurgical conditions such as traumatic head injury and brain tumours that this Congress will cover with several symposiums on neurosurgery. Patients suffering from neurosurgical conditions usually require long-term multidisciplinary care and rehabilitation, so as to help them return to the community. My Ministry is also working with the hospitals, other service providers of rehab services, and rehab professionals to improve their capabilities and work processes, so as to bring about better patient care outcomes.

7.    Increasingly, we need to work across in an interdisciplinary way to provide the most appropriate treatments for our patients. ASEAN Neuroscience 2015 provides an opportunity for participants to learn together and update themselves with the current issues surrounding both medical and surgical neuroscience, and brings together healthcare workers from different disciplines to share knowledge and best practices.

8.    Translational clinical research, including health services research, is key to elucidating disease patterns and bringing to our patients new evidence-based treatments for neurological and neurosurgical conditions. My Ministry has identified neurological disorders as one of MOH’s priority areas for research for the next five years. ASEAN Neuroscience 2015 serves as an excellent networking platform for ASEAN as well as international clinicians and researchers to explore collaborations in clinical research and education. In this regard, we would like to acknowledge the support and participation of the Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons and the Japanese Society of Neurology in this congress, and I hope this is the start of many more international collaborations in the years to come.

9.    As I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the hard work thus far to improve the management of patient care. I hope with all of you coming together as one neuroscience community at this event, we can develop new ideas and models to better manage the conditions of patients, and push the envelope of providing quality patient care.

10.    With that, let me officially open the ASEAN Neuroscience 2015, the Joint 11^th Biennial Convention of the ASEAN Neurological Association and the 16^th ASEAN Congress of Neurological Surgery. Thank you.